Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Hi,

This morning I had to go to the screw shop as I was running low on materials and while away from home an early Christmas gift arrived from America; many thanks Gil!

With all the base boards for the curved track pretty much finished a couple of false legs have been made so that they will stand on their mono legs.  I am quite pleased each pair of boards weigh in at only 4.5 kg about 10 lb add about another generous 2 kg/4.5 lb for paint and track it will be considerably lighter than the existing layout for the same parts. There is going to be a bit of a space problems as soon as I start connecting more than two boards together which is OK and is how the track will be laid one board to the next and so on.  If, sensibly before laying the track all the base boards are erected to see if they join together in one piece I will need to find somewhere to do; it during the warmer months the garage could be used but for the next four or so months it will be too damp and cold, anyway the existing layout is stored there during the winter.  We used to have access to the school’s car park at the bottom of the garden where the existing layout was erected and first run on in 2006 but the car park was enlarged and fenced.  So, I think I will check with the committee of Cardiff MES to see if I can use one of the rooms in the club house during a day when it isn’t being occupied.

Next, I could carry on making the six remaining wide boards for the straight track but I need to get timber for the legs and I have to design and make different brackets for the double folding legs.  I have a friend who visits and helps by doing a lot of the repetitious jobs like machining and drilling these brackets.  So, I think I will either make a cradle to fit in the trailer to hold the four hinged together boards already made or design and make the lifting section for the entrance to the layout.

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Regards Tony.

Hi,

Today the sun shone so it seemed sensible to see how well the parts of the layout already made and the 6 plastic storage boxes fitted the trailer.   Sums seem to have been correct everything fitted with a little wiggle room to spare.  So, to complete the layout six of the large base boards for the straight rail and an entrance need to be made. Later in the day a start was made on the entrance, a 960 x 320 mm sheet of 6 mm plywood was cut into three the lifting portion being twice as long as the two ends, which will make storage easier.  The construction is the same as the other base boards the edges being glued and pinned to the plywood.  Out of interest I tried a Hornby tin plate wheel set on a section of track that had been assembled, it ran OK and as I intend that the points that will be made will not have check rails it might be possible to run vintage 0 gauge with original the wheel sets on the layout.  This afternoon got a little expensive.  I did what I have done many times before knocked my cordless drill off the bench this time the casing cracked through and the handle came off; terminal so had to go and buy a new one.  The old one is old and doesn’t owe me anything but I could have done without it.

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Regards Tony.

Nearing the finish line Tony!

I have really enjoyed following the build.

Great to see that it all fits in the trial.

Hi,

This morning disaster!  Because the Bird family; small in numbers is a bit spread out it is unusual for us to celebrate Christmas on the 25th.  We hold it in December on a date when hopefully all of us can get together; our daughter has just finished a job in the Crucible in Sheffield and has returned to her home in Central London and will visit us with family this weekend before going onto Manchester, our son is working on a project for Liverpool and will visit having gone home to Gloucestershire to collect family before going to North Yorkshire.

The disaster?  Thomas broke down!  So, who will pull Santa around the Christmas tree?  The grandchildren will be very disappointed!  As usual Thomas was check out a few days before; today in fact, he pulled Santa around the track for several laps and stopped the motor still going; the wheel of the worm and wheel drive system had come loose on its axle.  The problem corrected; off Thomas and load went after a few laps stopped again now with no sound, problem the motors commutator was worn and shorting out; new motor fitting the test ran a lot longer before stopping, batteries needed charging.  Batteries charged; Thomas and load bounded off to stop about 5 minutes later; after quite a long time checking it was found that the two of the batteries were defective! New batteries charged and fitted Thomas managed his usual three-hour running time.

This took up most of the morning and being a bit of a fatalist, I near didn’t go to the shed.  In the event things went quite well and the layouts entrance base board wise is finished.

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Regards Tony.

Hi,

The Bird family Christmas was held this last weekend and yesterday was R&R for us!  I have not been idle on the layout just taking apart what has so far been built varnishing it all then assembling, boring!  South Wales is not known for its lack of humidity and though the storage/transport trailer is dry there is a lot of damp so all parts of the layout have to be varnished.

For Christmas our son bought me 20 metres of Velcro to hold the skirt of the layout and daughter is getting me 20 metres of fire retardant material for the skirt through her theatrical connections.  From our eldest granddaughter we had a water colour that she had painted.

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The reason for getting Thomas into shape had fun with him.



So a quite tomorrow for us.

May all the members have a Great Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year.

Regards Tony.

That'll be a great layout when finished Tony - lots of great planning and execution even if one set of legs were misplaced a little. You must have a very supportive and understanding wife to let you set it up in the house even if she didn't go for the hole in the wall.

Hi Larry,


You must have a very supportive and understanding wife to let you set it up in the house even if she didn't go for the hole in the wall.

Yes, I have and very grateful for it, yes, it was sad about not being allowed to make a hole in the wall even after suggesting other advantages such as, being able to offer a cup of tea to someone using the bathroom even by train!  She did point out that anyone using the bath wouldn't be able to reach the tea; a practical lady.  I wonder if I could sort that problem then............

Hi Charlie,

I loved the Thomas video.  That’s what life is all about.

Yes our youngest granddaughter was really enjoying herself.  She told me that she isn't five only four and three quarters, she is very articulate having spent a lot of her life in the back stages  of theatres with her set and costume designer mother, this has come to an end with her starting school.  She can tell you the names of the different lights being used and how the drops work.

You have an open invitation to come and stay in Texas for a few months and help me build one. 🤠

Very kind but I suspect the health insurance at our age would be rather expensive.  Many years ago I did help a friend build a garden railway in California, a place called Elk Grove a suburb of Sacramento.  Dual gauge as I recall using Gargreaves track made from folded stainless steel strip?

With the error corrected the other end of the layout was erected.

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The layout to date in transport mode.

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As a fill in while waiting for paint/glue to dry I did have a bit of a play with other things.



I will report further progress.

Happy New Year.

Tony.

Great progress and videos Tony